Federico Chieli

Based on Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich’s delightful book of typographical animals, this website enhances the experience by providing beautifully produced animations (by Mucca design) that transition from the word for the animal to the animal figure built out of those letters. The sounds by Federico Chieli help breathe life into the animals, bringing us into their world and throwing in the occasional Tarzan cry to evoke a famous animal-related character. The typography is based on the Bembo font (named after the 16th century humanist poet Pietro Bembo), which provides a statuesque curvature and serifs to the letters that retain a manuscript feel to them. That humanist fluidity is evoked in this sequence of typographical visual poems, both in the print and Flash versions.

This book is out of print but the website continues to publish the electronic edition of beloved work. Don’t miss out on its imaginative energy.